A God Without People
by Aafje98
Summary: Traveling across lands, Ja'far finds himself in a place that claims to be abandoned by god. But then who is the guy that shows up in the local temple?
1. Chapter 1

**An idea I had for Sinja week on Tumblr. I didn't plan on finishing it first, but we'll see how far I'll go with it. An Alliance of Love should get an update soon btw! I'm working on the new chapter.**

* * *

Dark clouds filled the sky the moment Ja'far had set foot in the country. In summer, Ja'far usually found himself wrapped in his scarf, hiding from the sun in attempt to evade a heatstroke. It was something he didn't need here, where the sun didn't seem to touch the land. Every time he looked back, he could see the last rays of sunshine from the neighboring state slowly fading away.

The forest he had wandered into, seemed abandoned with not even the sun trying to shine into it. With the lack of sun the trees gave of a dark shade, wildlife didn't show its face. There was supposed to be a village in the forest with a good trade. Yet it seemed that there was nothing willing to live inside the darkness.

The sky rumbled as the clouds broke out into a sudden downpour. As it had been clear day moments before, the forest looked like it was stuck in an eternal night. The trees couldn't give him any shelter, the sound of thunder in the distance making it even worse to stay outside even longer. He had to find a place to hide, perhaps a hole somewhere. It didn't matter to him. Anything would be fine.

In the distance there was a light. It was a soft, light red, glow through the trees. Something was there, perhaps a fire. For a fire to stay on in this weather that meant that there was a shelter of some kind or the thunder had struck a tree and set it on fire. Either way it was worth checking out. Through the pouring rain he ran. The thunder followed his every step as he tried to find the source of the light.

The trees became thinner, smaller until they eventually disappeared. He was left in a bare space where even the grass would barely grow. Rocks lay down a path to a small hill where a small building was placed. Inside of it was a fire. A big fire, almost enough to be seen as a threat if the building itself wasn't strange enough on its own. It didn't matter to Ja'far. His clothes were soaked and the storm didn't seem to stop any time soon. He ran inside the small round temple, finally sheltered from the downpour. Inside the building was an altar on which a fire was burning. Something was wrong with the fire, although Ja'far couldn't tell what it was in the beginning. Perhaps the sound of the raging thunder was playing with him, perhaps it was something else. It didn't matter in that moment. He could wait inside for as long as the rain was going on.

"Do you enjoy barging into people's homes?" A sudden voice echoed through the building, startling the traveler. A man was sitting in front of him on the altar, dangerously close to the fire. His long purple hair fell over his shoulders as his golden eyes stared into the distance. The sudden appearance came as a surprise, but Ja'far couldn't say he felt intimidated by the presence.

"Do you want to say you live in this place?" Ja'far frowned.

"A temple is the house of a god." Sounded the voice, "You are looking at a god." The man smiled as he ran a hand through his hair. "And this is the temple I claimed."

"I thought Solomon was supposed to be the god of these lands." Ja'far couldn't say he knew much about the gods of the region, but any place that had honored Solomon was a lively and peaceful one, opposite of the region he was in now.

"And what if I told you I'm Solomon?" The man grinned, leaning closer as the downpour went on.

"I wouldn't believe you" Ja'far stated, no expression forming on his face.

The so-called god leaned back again, pouting slightly. "So you came to the house of a god only to insult them? You hurt me…"

"I was only finding shelter from the rain. I don't care about any gods or whatever they think of me. The gods left my side long ago."

"Really now? You stand in front of the most beautiful god of all and you don't care? You are… interesting." He smiled. His hands ran through the fire, petting it as the storm seemed to calm down. In that moment, Ja'far hoped to leave the temple, to any place that wasn't this temple, but the god had different plans. In a quick movement he grabbed his wrist and pulled him close.

"I would hate to see you leave these woods. Surely you will come to see I am the god who will get you back into believing." His touch was hot, burning against Ja'far's skin. Golden eyes had turned bright yellow as he looked at the traveler. Then, he let go again.

"There's a town not too far from here. Go there." The god spoke before he disappeared and the fire that had been burning at the altar extinguished.

 **…**

Surely there was a town a few minutes walking from the temple although it had seen better days. Surrounded by hills and the forest, the houses gave of a solemn impression. In some way, Ja'far thought, it fitted the gray forest surrounding it. Every step he took in the village, he could feel eyes watching him. In the middle of the town was a small altar where townspeople were constantly performing rituals of some kind. Ja'far decided to ignore them as he entered a small bar opposite of the altar.

"A traveler?" The man behind the bar looked up surprised when Ja'far entered. "You don't see those a lot. Not since the latest incidents."

"Do those incidents have to do anything with those people?" Ja'far asked as he pointed in the direction of the altar.

"Sadly yes." The man sighed. "You probably don't know what is going on here, but you must have noticed the dark clouds hanging over the place."

"Clearly. I got soaked in a downpour not too long ago." Ja'far tapped with his fingers on the counter, trying to ignore the ongoing sound of chants from outside.

"That won't be the first time. The chants out there are to satisfy the gods again, to make the clouds go away again."

"Hasn't worked so far, I guess?" Ja'far noted as he ordered himself a drink. "The clouds seem pretty dark here."

"People are fearing god left us." The man's eyes were locked on the dark clouds as the sky rumbled again. "We were never in such a situation before, it looks like Solomon no longer loves us and we don't know what we did wrong."

So the town had been worshipping Solomon after all. Still Ja'far was sure that the man he had seen earlier was not Solomon. And yet…

"Is the temple in the forest meant for Solomon then?" He had to ask, because one simple answer could mean a lot.

"It is," again the man sighed deeply, as if the temple itself was a reason god had abandoned the place, "but the fire stopped burning there when the clouds came."

"But there was a fire burning there when I went to find shelter from the rain." Ja'far lifted his sleeve a little, where dark lines of the god's burning touch were still present. There had been a fire there, Ja'far was sure of it when proof was still visible on his skin.

The man shook his head, "That's not possible. There is no fire in that place, we have tried visiting it many times. There is no god in this place anymore."

The problem was however that there _was_ a god. The god just wasn't Solomon. Whoever it had been that had taken the spot, was not generous to the villagers. If anything, he brought them fear and terror.

"If the clouds were to lift, how would it benefit your people?" Ja'far continued to ask, glancing at the man through his messy bangs.

"We could open up trade again. The woods have valuable plants and woods that we can collect. With the constant thunderstorms however, no one dares to go into the forest again."

Simply said, it meant that there was profit in helping the people out. If he were able to stop the thunder, Ja'far could find himself into a strong situation.

"There was someone in your temple, If I go back to him to ask if he can stop the storming clouds, will that help you?"

"It would save this town and we would be forever grateful." Ja'far no longer cared about any kind of profit. These people were being ruined by a single person, a thing Ja'far had gotten to hate over the years.

He didn't say much more as he paid for his drink and left. Outside, people were still performing the rituals, more and more as the dark sky rumbled again.

 **…**

It wasn't until Ja'far reached the temple again that the first drops of rain fell from the sky. The altar was abandoned, the building looking as torn as the barman had said. Perhaps it had been the bad rain from before that had distorted his vision, making it seem like a beautiful building. Now, with soft rain dripping down from the sky. As soon as he stepped into the building however, a small flame lit up on the altar.

"I didn't think you'd come back…" The voice echoed through the small building. "Did you miss me in those few minutes." Every word brought more rain with it, until the downpour was back to its power of the first storm.

"I didn't come back because I missed you, I want you stop this weather. The town is suffering and fears that god has abandoned them. You won't even show your face to them." Ja'far said, feeling himself speak into an empty space.

The burn on his arm started to act up and looking at his side, he saw the bright yellow eyes looking at him.

"Give me one good reason why I would want to do that? They haven't shown any respect for me. Only beg for Solomon to return, they don't try to work with me." His soft brown skin glowed in the light of altar, where the fire had started to grow more and more.

"Perhaps they wouldn't want Solomon back if you didn't ruin their lives with your storms." Ja'far grumbled, looking away from the god to watch the new thunderstorm, "No one can live when the weather is always like this."

"Once they honor my name, then I will stop." The god smiled as he let go of Ja'far's arm and walked back to the altar.

"Then what is your name?" Ja'far asked as he watched the man sit down in the fire.

"I won't tell you that. I need to see dedication in everyone's devotion." And with that, the god was gone again. At that moment, Ja'far knew he was going to be staying here a lot longer than he wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

It had become hard to notice when night started in the eternally dark forest. Only by the sight of people leaving the streets and the sound of charms dying down, Ja'far knew that the day was getting to an end. An annoying god had given him a mission, but if everyone was going to sleep, there was no one to listen to Ja'far's stories. So instead, Ja'far found himself in the bar again. He could get a small room in the back, as a 'thank you' for wanting to save the town from its current situation. Ja'far had wanted to reject it, but he wasn't been able to. He had no place to stay to in the village and if he wanted to help anyone, he needed his rest.

 **…**

By the time Ja'far woke up again, the town square was already filled with people. It seemed that without a running trade, the only hobby the town could find was to pray to god. Ja'far sighed as he looked at them. Their efforts were useless, that much Ja'far could tell. After all, they were calling the wrong god for help.

He couldn't let them stay there, stuck in an illusion that Solomon would come to help them. That Solomon was still in the temple somewhere and not…

"I met your god yesterday," Ja'far said after he had pushed himself through the crowd and stood before the small altar. He rolled his sleeve down, showing the mark of the god's hand that had been burned into his skin. "he spoke to me and gave me a mission to help you."

"That's a lie!" One woman yelled, "Why would god show himself to a stranger and not to his own people!" Others joined in, "If Solomon was still in these woods, then he can stop this weather!" There was no end in accusations and the cries for Solomon only grew louder.

"Listen to me!" Ja'far almost screamed, raising his voice in an attempt to make the people listen to him, "The god I met was not Solomon. There is a new god in the woods who wishes for the people to call him by his name. If you do, then the thunder will stop and you can have trade again. We only need to know what this god is called."

There was a short moment of silence before the voice came back worse than before. One woman, an elderly lady who Ja'far had seen in charge of the rituals, stepped closer, her eyes almost peering through Ja'far's soul. "The only god this place needs is Solomon. We will not accept a different god even if that means that we will have to live with thunderstorms forever." The people cheered at her statement and Ja'far knew there was no winning from her. He couldn't even remember why he had decided to save this town when it clearly didn't want to be saved from its curse. The old lady had her own authority in the town, but the sudden impact of thunder on the altar showed the true dominance in the town. With the sound ringing in their ears and the black spots forming in their vision from the bright light, the people were once again reminded of their situation. Their god was waiting for their worship and he wouldn't be leaving without it.

 **…**

One hit of thunder hadn't been enough to make his presence clear. Within seconds a downpour hit the town again, making people run back to their homes to find shelter. Ja'far too had gone back to the bar, where sat down with a cold drink as the sound of rain surrounded him.

"I don't even know my I'm trying anymore." Ja'far groaned, looking at the barman.

"Because you are a kind person who wants to help the town and our god." The man replied.

"Trust me, I'm not a kind man. I've done a lot of bad things before I came here."

"But you're still here, trying to help us. You could have left already."

"Can't really leave with weather like this. I doubt your god would let me go before I finish his little mission." He took another sip from his drink, "Do you have an information on Solomon? Or the other gods of this region? Maybe the man I met in the temple is mentioned somewhere."

"I have some" the man stepped from behind the bar, "there's one place where I keep some things." He motioned Ja'far to follow him into a smaller hallway. There the man opened a hatch in the floor.

"I saved some books down there. The others don't know about it, but you should be able to find any information you want down there."

Ja'far laughed softly at the man. "Why do you want to help so much with this?" He asked as he looked down the stairs.

"Let's say I'm trying to make up for things I've done before as well." The man smiled softly before he left to go back to the front of the bar.

Ja'far decided to leave the man's hospitality for what it was. He walked down the stairs, looking for the nearest source of light to find his way around the room. At the bottom of the stairs, he found a box of lighters and a candle holder. As soon as he had a small light going on, he could see the basement clearly. There wasn't a lot in it, two bookcases stood across the wall, along with a small table and a chair. The light of the candles lit up the titles of the books. There were travel reports, indexes of goods and a few children books. One caught Ja'far's attention ' _the gods of regions_ ' , what seemed to be an index of the gods of nearby villages.

Sure the book was interesting, giving information about the worship of Solomon in different places. The rituals, the temples, the signs of god's presence. Sometimes a different god would show its face in the book, but the towns were unknown to Ja'far, located in a darker part of the world than the forest he was in now. Still the book didn't tell him why Solomon would be gone or which god had taken his place. None of the gods described were said to make thunderstorm and clouds in their presence.

As he put the book away, a different, smaller book caught his attention. It was a notebook, newer than most books although it had already started to fall apart in certain areas. As he quickly browsed through the pages he noticed dates written above the pages: a diary. Personal writing could hold more information about the situation in the town. Especially when the writing was still so new. He started to read the first page of the book.

 _Today is the first day I picked up this notebook. It has been laying around on the shelfs for months because I didn't know what I wanted to write in here. But now I have decided to write about this town, about what happens here on a daily base. There isn't much going on here though, we stay away from other regions and spend our days praying and finding resources in the woods. Some people called me crazy for wanting to start a bar here, but I'm sure someone would like a place to get drunk at. Business may not be the best one, but it's fun. We'll see how it goes._

There seemed be a long gap in time between that small piece of writing on the first page and the next section, which dated at least six months later.

 _I forgot I wanted to start this journal, but here I am again. Nothing interesting happened for a long time. Last week, someone new came into town. A woman came to live here with her son. Apparently her husband died in war and she has been looking a place to settle and start over. The village doesn't seem to like her, but she is a kind woman who wishes to help out whenever she wants. The boy is a sweetheart, only five years old and so full of life. The other kids like to play with him, although their parents are less enthusiastic. The family has done nothing wrong, it must be the feeling of new people that scares them. I will try to help them settle here, I'm probably the only one who is willing to do so._

As Ja'far looked through the writing, he saw the new family being mentioned a few more times. Most of the writing was still about the town itself. There was descriptions of the temple fires, burning bright red every day the author visited. The sacrifices and gifts to the god were written down, along with the festivals and parades through the forest danced across the pages, almost making Ja'far feel worse that the people had to go without such things now. The new family was only mentioned between the lines. Mom and child visited the festivals, the boy got lost in the forest and the woman would often volunteer to clean the temple. Years seemed to fly by in the notes as soon the boy was becoming a teenager. The family appeared more often again by then, but not for reasons Ja'far wanted to see.

 _She's dying. Everyone could see that she wasn't doing well, but they all wanted to ignore it. I think she wanted to do so as well. She didn't want to make her son worry about her, but it was obvious when she showed up in town less and less. Some mornings I could see her walk into the forest, probably to pray and ask for help. No one came to help her though. Now I don't see her anymore. Her son still walks around town. He prays to Solomon more than anyone in this town by now, other days he'll be walking around the forest to find herbs for his mother. It means she's still alive, but the town doesn't have enough medicine to help them. I spoke to the doctor a few days ago to see if he knew what was going on with her. He only visited her once, months ago. After the nine years those two have been living here, there is still a stigma placed on them. They don't belong here and thus it is their own problem that god has abandoned them. It's sad. If anything, they have tried their best to belong here and they should have been accepted. Maybe I should try visiting her before her time is over._

 _…_

 _She passed away this week. I decided to visit her but there wasn't anything I could do. Her son was only sitting there, helping her any time she got a coughing fit and trying to feed her when he could. None of it seemed to help. She didn't look like the woman I had seen walking around the temple anymore. Her face was fallen in, that vibrant brown hair lost its shine. I don't think she knew I was there at that moment. I couldn't stay very long, the pressure in the room was making me sick. I wish I could have done more for her. Her son came by to ask for a favor yesterday. He wanted to help with a funeral. He feared that if the town knows of his mother's death, they will only mutilate her body more to show what happens to those that don't belong here. The people will probably find out about her death soon enough, but before that, we want to make sure she gets an end she deserves. Her reputation as 'abandoned by god' won't be defining her forever. The boy had the request to burn her in the temple, making sure that she was one with the god we were sure was still at her side. It was a stupid idea but we still did it. The flames were gone when we lay her body down on the altar, but they engulfed her at ease moments later. We spread her ash around the temple. By the time people realize she's gone, they can do nothing to her._

 _…_

 _The boy is lonely without his mother. I tried to help him out by offering him to stay at my place. But even if he accepted that, he seems worried. Part of that worry must come from his mother's fate. Not just her loss, but the fact that there was no way to save her. He always keeps talking about what we could do if we started a trade with other villages or regions. Surely the forest has great resources that only its inhabitants can find, but will trade really do us any good? The town thinks it's only bad and unnatural. I think there's a future in it that others don't want to see. I think he can try and help the closed minds of the people here. He will have my support for it, no matter where it brings him._

The writing about the child stopped there. The boy seemed to have left town in order to start a trade with nearby villages. He only returned in the notes as thoughts wandered off to what he could be doing. One year went by and another one. The writing became less in that time, as if the only thing that had motived the man to write had been the boy. There was a gap of at least a year by the time a new part had been written down.

 _He came back. Perhaps people had started to forget he existed, but he came back. The boy I had told to set out to travel with a dream for establishing trade came back successfully. This time, he wasn't alone. He came with a group of people of an origin I hadn't seen before. They were his friends, he told me. People he had met on his journey who had come with him to help out. Most of them were around his age and of different backgrounds. Some claimed to be the sons of village chiefs, others were poor and hoped to find a better life._

 _He stepped by at the bar and introduced his new friends to me. A boy from the mountains was outgoing and friendly. A giant man was there was well, coming from a northern country. Two children from the south, both very different and two men who had no place they belonged to. He had gone so far in those years. He showed me the items he had gotten from those towns, the things we could gain with the trade of our own resources. Iron, medical herbs, fish, fur, knives… all of it for our wood and plants. It sounded like a good plan. Too bad the idea couldn't be accepted._

 _We got the trade, the town grew famous with travelers coming in and out of the forest. But none of the villagers started a business. Only that group of friends that wanted to change this place was helping out. We became rich, the bar got more customers as well. The only thing the villagers did with the new wealth was to restore bits of the temple, make a shrine in town and pray more. They never prayed so much before. They acted as if trade was the worst thing that could have happened to the place, in reality it only helped us. We could get medicine when we needed it, the herbs from the south being stronger than the ones we owned._

 _The plan was meant to fail. He would have never gotten the support he had wished for. After all… he had been abandoned by god the moment he entered the village and his mother had fallen ill. What a stupid lie that had been. He was a good kid, even now as a young adult, he was better than any of the people that would live in the town. I pitied him for all his efforts that were thrown away like this. He came back to me one evening. He wanted a good drink to forget everything that was happening. He was clearly being sabotaged by the town, his friends got yelled at wherever they went. It hurts, you know? To see the child you watched growing up fall like that. I should have told him this town couldn't be saved anymore, that everyone was too stubborn to accept something new. All the town needed, all it wanted, was the support of Solomon to continue daily life. They had been able to break his spirit even if his friends still tried to see the best in everything. He told me that night that he would go to Solomon to ask for help. The people listened to their god so god could guide hem to a path that would secure their future. He left that same night to go to the temple. It was the last thing I heard of him. When I went to his business that next day, his friends hadn't seen him return. They had lost the hope for trade as well, saying their villages would find the same resources in a different village that would gladly trade with them. Without one man to unite them, they eventually left. I visited the temple later in the hope to find him again, but he was gone. He only left a note, the rest of him was never seen again._

 _In the end it didn't matter. Our land is cursed anyways. We have angered Solomon enough with our own, selfish actions. Every day I can see dark clouds coming closer to the this forest and praying doesn't seem to work anymore. We could have had help for this so perhaps we really deserve this._

The next page was blank and so were the pages after that. Ja'far sighed as he lowered the notebook in his hands. So the town wasn't just cursed with thunderstorms. If anything, the people themselves were the curse. To have them praise the name of a different god, of a change, it seemed impossible. As Ja'far wanted to put the notebook back and leave the basement again a small piece of paper fell out of the notebook. Ja'far was sure it hadn't been there before when he was reading, but the wrinkled note made him curious. Picking the paper up from the ground, his eyes widened and he ran out of the basement, back to the temple, notebook under his arm, note clenched in his palm.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is you, isn't it!" Ja'far ran into the temple, almost out of breath as he stood in front of the empty altar.

"Don't act as if you're not here, you'd never miss a chance to show your face at me." He grumbled, kicking against the stone surface. A small flame lit up and along with it, the figure of the god.

"Of course I wouldn't want to miss a single time you come to talk to me." Ja'far could see that ever sweet smile grow on his face.

"I want you to explain this." Ja'far interrupted whatever the god had been wanting to say, pushing the wrinkled piece of paper in his face.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." He said as he pushed Ja'far extended hand away from his face.

"This paper," Ja'far continued, growing more irritated with every second.

"What about that piece of paper? You know I can't read it if you keep moving it around like that." The god frowned.

"' _I thought I could help the town and change its destiny. However, it seems that this town doesn't want to move forward… I wish I could have more power to show that we can do much more but it's better if I end things like this. –Sinbad'_ that is you, isn't it?" Ja'far threw the piece of paper at the man, who caught it. After looking over the paper, a small ray of thunder from the palm of his hand burned it to ashes.

"Where did you find this?" The tone in his voice grew serious, eyes turning into slits as thunder crashed in the surrounding woods.

Ja'far held up the notebook, sure to keep it in his hands to prevent it from being burned, "I found it along with this book describing everything that happened in the town. It's about you, right?"

The sound of thunder calmed down as only the soft sound of rain could be heard on the roof of the temple.

"There is nothing of that person left." The man sighed, brushing away his bangs as his eyes drifted off to the side of the temple. "It was a long time ago anyways."

"So you admit you used to be that Sinbad." Ja'far continued to say as he still held the notebook close to him.

"I guess I do." The man wouldn't look back at Ja'far, his focus lost. The fire on the altar started to flicker softly. "Who wrote that book?" His voice was soft, but his attention was back onto the notebook.

"The town's barman." Ja'far answered him, still hesitating to hand over the book.

The god leaned back as he brushed a hand through the fire and managed to pull a soft smile on his face. "I should have expected it to be him." He laughed in between, "He always seemed interested in my mother and even after I left he came to this place to see where I had gone."

"You never showed yourself to him?" Ja'far asked, "If he cared so much, you'd think he'd be the one person you'd show your presence to."

Sinbad shook his head in response, "In the beginning I couldn't do it. After that, he started to ask for Solomon as well. I never found the will to show myself to anyone who lives in the town."

"He is the only one who seems to believe in you and he probably figured out it's you who controls this weather. He already knew what I was looking for when I wanted information about you and the other gods. Even if you don't like the town, you owe him an explanation of what happened to you."

"If that is what you want, then I guess it is what I must do. Take it as your reward for returning my name to me." The fire of the temple started to fade slowly.

" _Bring him to me tonight and we will talk"_

…

Ja'far did bring the man that night. He didn't need a good excuse to get the man to enter the woods with him. He had gotten him with _'god told me to take you to the woods'_ he had no need to explain who the god was or how he had been told this. The man wanted to finally see god and watch the fire of the temple burn again.

The fire, however, wasn't burning. To Ja'far it was to be expected, a sign that the god would show himself within a few minutes, but for the barman it was different. The lack of fire had become too common for him, a sign that that place was as cursed as always.

"Is he really here?" The man asked as his hand traced the pillars surrounding the temple.

"Just give him a few seconds. He's lazy, he never shows up the moment you get in." Ja'far replied as he walked close to the altar, wanting to kick it to show that he had been waiting long enough. The kick wasn't necessary. The altar was soon enough filled with flames again. Judging by the soft thud Ja'far heard behind him, he knew the barman had fallen over at the sight of the flames.

"I brought him to you." Ja'far spoke to the flames, where he could slowly see the form of the god appearing in front of him.

"So you did," Golden eyes peered through the flames as the rest of his body started to form around him, "it has been a while, hasn't it?" He looked at the man who was still on the floor, now trembling with every part of disbelief filling his body.

"I-it's really you, isn't it?" The man stuttered as he watched the god's form slide across the temple, "I thought you died years ago… that you fled into the woods to die that night… Sinbad."

Sinbad smiled as he crouched down in front of the man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I was never gone, I only found a new purpose."

"So you never gave up on your dream to help the town?" The man was near tears as he looked at the man he had lost so long ago.

Sinbad only sighed and returned to the altar where he sat down in the flames again. "I wouldn't exactly say that. If anything I had given up on it."

"Just what happened that night. How did you become god?" The man, still sitting on the ground, crawled closer to the altar. Ja'far had decided to stay quiet and listen to their conversation instead.

Sinbad sighed, his vision again drifting off to the side of the temple. The sky started to rumble, resulting in a downpour worse than Ja'far had witnessed before. The sound of thunder kept going through the woods, only blocked out slightly by the walls of the temple. Sinbad's eyes watched as lightning ran across the sky. "Like this no one will come here and see us." He mumbled, "Let me tell the two of you what happened that night, when I wanted to end everything I had to do with this town."

"My father died when I was five year old. We used to live in the far west, where war is very common. We had made big mistakes, some of which were my fault, and my father was sent into war as a punishment. He had retired before and was already hurt from earlier battles, there was no way he'd come back. When we received the message that he was dead, my mother decided to leave our hometown. I guess she hoped we would find a place that would accept us, except that the town we found was far from that.

"You –Sinbad looked at the man in front of the altar– were the only person there who wanted to help us, who wanted us to get a life here. We tried and I think my mother was happy here. That was until she died. There wasn't really anything I could do about it. After all, she wouldn't have survived even if we had stayed in our hometown. I should be grateful for the help I got, I guess I still am. I traveled in the hope to find ways to give the town a future. I found friends that way. I wonder if they're still alive and what they're doing now. But I guess you already knew that, you were there after all.

"My business and friends were never meant to stay in this town. They could leave and they did. I told them to leave, they wouldn't have otherwise. They were so stubborn. I wanted to end it all that night, you know. Go into the forest, say farewell to the god that had abandoned me and my mother and then disappear forever. Perhaps to go back to my old home or maybe to end it all in the woods, I can't remember what I was thinking back then. After all, that night ended up much different than I expected. When I arrived here, the temple fire was burning. Surely it had always been on when I came, but that night it was different. There was a light blue glow dancing along the flames. I met _him_ that night… Solomon."

The two man in the audience gasped at the mentioning of that name. It wasn't common that a god would show their face to a person, Sinbad being a clear exception to the rule.

"He was everything someone would expect of a god," Sinbad continued, "He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen, his very own appearance showed the power he possessed. He talked to me that night. He asked me if I knew what I was doing and if I wanted to live for this town. I told him that I didn't know anymore, that I wanted to help this town but that there was no way to change this town's mindset. He didn't want to believe me. He only smiled and told me that that would change overtime. I couldn't know what that meant but I was surrounded in light at that moment.

"I was brought to the world of gods, I was shown the truth of the world there. It felt like hundreds of years that I spent there. I was told the ways of destiny, I had to watch the world fall apart at a million different places until I no longer knew what was the right way. Then I ended up here. I guess Solomon wanted me to change this place like I had always dreamed, but I never got over the feelings I held towards this place. Just for once I wanted to hear my name being called by the people. Just once I wanted to know what it was like to be accepted by this town. It never happened. So I came with the clouds and thunder. If they won't accept that there is a god in these woods then perhaps, they do not deserve to have the blessing of god." Sinbad looked at the two men in front of him before he focused on Ja'far alone, "No outsiders have ever visited this place since I took Solomon's place. You were the first one and because of that, I decided to test you. I didn't think anyone would be interested enough to care for this town anymore."

"You never wanted to be god, did you?" Ja'far asked him, taking a step closer to the altar.

"Although I admit I wanted to help this place, I wanted to leave this town that night. I didn't ask to be stuck in it forever. Solomon is a cruel god, although no one will admit that."

"If you don't want this job, can't you ask Solomon to take it back. You can return to the human world and be one with your friends again, leave this town behind." The barman suddenly spoke up as he had gotten himself on his own two feet again.

Sinbad only laughed and shook his head, "I would have done that if I could, but it's no longer possible. Solomon doesn't care for this place anymore. To be honest, I don't think he cares about any of his temples anymore. He is looking for more and more local gods and I was only his first experiment."

"So Solomon isn't the ideal god everyone praises him to be." The barman commented as a heavy breath left him.

"He has been around long enough, I can't blame him. The town should just understand that there is nothing to gain from worshipping Solomon's name. Perhaps if they would call me then they would see that the future that was laid out for them wouldn't need to happen."

The temple stayed quiet for a while, the only sound being of the surrounding thunder.

"So what do you want us to do?" The barman asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"No one in town will listen when they're told that they have a new god now." Ja'far added on top of that, his voice no more than a whisper.

Sinbad nodded, moving to the edge of the temple again. "I know they won't. They can live without a god for all I care. I'm fine with the storms and the loneliness. The area is still mine even if they don't like it."

"There must be some way to change that." Ja'far mumbled, "We'll find something that will make them see reality."

Sinbad grinned, "If you do then I chose the best foreigner to trap in this forest."

Ja'far decided to ignore that statement, already knowing that he wouldn't leave the forest anyways. He eyed at the barman to follow him back to the town for the night.

"It's good to see you are still alive, Sinbad. Even if it was like this. We will do anything to help you." The man said before he turned to Ja'far's side. The rain parted at the steps, allowing the duo to return to the town without any trouble.

* * *

 **I'm sorry but dialogue isn't my kind of thing to write... so yeah...**

 **Who knows when I update this again. The end is soon and I don't have a plot for it yet...**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter might seem a bit rushed for what I want to do in it, but I want to finish this story. I know myself good enough to know that I will abandon it otherwise. This chapter is also a lot more dark than the others.**

* * *

 _Bodies fell down, one by one as blood rained down from the sky. It was an answer to the many sacrifices that had been made before. Blood would gain blood in return. A tribe that had lived of killing people in the woods would get what it deserved in the end. The tribe had been happy with the outcome, this being what they had spent their lives on doing. "Gods demand sacrifices" it was what he heard every day when growing up. When he was given two bright darts, he hadn't needed an instruction on what to do with them. The town had never seemed so bright red before and when the sky had finally broken open, letting lose the power of the gods, he had known that he was also to blame for this._

…

When Ja'far woke up again, the world felt surreal, but all too soon reality started coming back to him. He was still in the same town, still willing to help a mysterious god out. He sighed as the ideas ran through his head again. He already knew the people wouldn't listen to him, not with their current mindset and not with the identity of their current god. He was too familiar with it for every reason he'd rather forget. Although he didn't want to think about it, there was always _that_ thing that he could do. How much he hated it, it seemed that it was the only thing to do now. To go back to what he was used to doing. And it was a thing he had to do alone.

…

"I have only one thing to ask of you," Ja'far said when he saw the barman later that day, "I'll disappear from this town tonight. You too should leave before true disaster strikes. I can't guarantee your safety if you stay any longer."

"Did Sinbad give you a plan?" The man asked, confused.

Ja'far shook his head. "This is a plan no god would agree with."

"If anything goes wrong you'll get yourself killed." Concern ran across the man's face, although he could see Ja'far had no doubt in his plan.

"There would need to be anything left of this place first." Ja'far simply said before he walked to the door. Before he left he turned around on more time. "You were the first to follow Sinbad's words, so cherish the life you will be given by him and leave."

With that Ja'far disappeared into thin air.

…

Ja'far found himself standing in front of the temple once more. Unlike other times, the fire was already burning softly, waiting for Ja'far to enter.

"I don't like what you're planning." Sinbad spoke, appearing from the flames as Ja'far came closer.

"You don't have to like it. You wanted your name to be called and I want to finish what I started. I won't be working in your name, so you will be fine." Ja'far said, his voice and expression without emotion.

"You aren't a normal traveler, I could feel that the moment you came here." Sinbad frowned.

"And you don't really care about the people in this town anymore." Ja'far added, glaring at the god, "That was obvious enough from the start."

"So what do you want?" Sinbad asked as he inspected Ja'far with his gaze.

Ja'far hesitated for a moment before he opened his mouth again.

"I want you to-"

…

Ja'far had always hated where he came from. A village deep in the northern woods. Perhaps this town made him uncomfortable by its resemblance to his hometown. Solomon had been honored there, alongside with the more unknown Ill Ilah. No one would doubt what the gods would say, even if no one knew who the gods were. He stared down at the two blades resting in his hands. They had been a gift from his parents, although Ja'far couldn't understand who would give their six year old son a set of knifes for his birthday. He didn't understand how they could still shine so beautiful after all the blood that had been spilt on them. Countless of lost travelers, innocent souls had found their death in that forest. It had seemed so normal at that time. After all, gods wanted sacrifices as the old stories had told. That those sacrifices were supposed to be of food and incense was a thing no one had told the people there. The forest was known as a place of death soon enough. Those who traveled up north wouldn't come back. Ja'far always remembered the sky being bright red. It was a sign that the gods were pleased and that they wanted to see more blood, their town elder Shaka would say. Everyone would follow Shaka's words. To keep the skies a nice red, more sacrifices were needed, from outside the forest. And Ja'far had gladly volunteered to help his god out.

Ja'far remembered being surprised when the sky outside the forest had been blue. People were living together without harming anyone and prayed to their gods at small altars with food. In the beginning Ja'far would act like a young, lost kid, luring strangers to the forest before he could slit their throats and sacrifice them. Later, he would take on the disguise as lost or hurt traveler. Any excuse could work to gain new victims. It was normal. It never came to his mind that the red sky was a warning instead of a reward. That was until the skies broke open and one by one the townspeople started to fall down, dead. There was no explanation other than a cleansing started by the gods they had honored for so long. His parents had been some of the first to die, along with Shaka. As long as the dark red sky stayed above the town, the lives that had been taken before were exchanged for their own.

Ja'far sighed as he lay the darts in his lap. The sight of his dead family all around him flashed before his eyes on more time. He had been running so hard to get away. How he was still alive, he didn't know. He couldn't say he was innocent or that he didn't know any better. Enough children had died on that day and Ja'far, at the age of twenty back then, saw no reason as to why he hadn't been one of them. Traveling around towns, watching other people interact with the gods in a way that Ja'far was unfamiliar with, had been… an experience. However, it didn't matter now. This forest had been his last stop, a place so much like his old town. With the way they were going, Ja'far expected that the town was at the same level soon enough. Although killing was not a way of doing here.

It didn't matter. His hands wrapped themselves around the darts again. It was time to go back to the darkness one more time.

…

Darkness and thunderstorms were nothing strange to the town. It was peaceful most of the times. Any foreigners would leave eventually, as the recent example had shown. Death however, was a thing the town didn't get to see that often. Thus, it was strange when slowly the town started to shrink in numbers.

The first death had been written off as an animal attack. The body of a man had been found mutilated in the woods. His throat had been bitten out, the rest of his body left behind to be eaten by the other beasts of the forest. He hadn't been found until three days after he had disappeared from the town.

It had been a shock for the town, but within moments the problem had been set aside. There was nothing they could do against the animals, could they?

It became a bigger problem by the time more people started to disappear or were found dead in their homes. They all suffered from the same wounds, a cut throat. It was clear by then that there were no animals out there that were killing the unsuspecting villagers. No one could understand where the deaths were coming from. The only apparent reason could be that god had truly left them now, something they hoped to change by praying more and more. However, every day of praying ended up in more deaths. All until at least twenty people had been brutally murdered in less than a month time. The series of deaths were blamed on 'the white death', named so because of the white flashes some people would see around the town after a killing had happened.

Much of it had started to become _normal_ in that short time. One could only hope that they wouldn't be the next victim of the continuous murder spree. Night after night it went on, time for a funeral barely being around. By the time someone could be laid to rest, the next one would be gone already.

One single night was different. An almost unknown light fell down on the town square. There in the sky, the moon had shown itself to the people. A soft, mysterious light fell across the town, a sight the people hadn't seen in ages. Ignorant of the consequences the moon brought with it, the people left their houses one by one, falling into a trap. When everyone had assembled, looking at the moon and stars in awe, a lone cloaked figure moved across the roofs to the square. His footsteps were dragging, but soft and unnoticed by anyone.

"It's funny how the moon can drag so many people out of their shelter." The man jumped down from the roof, his cloak falling off in the jump. His voice had startled the crowd, people stepping closer to each other in a form of protection. "Did no one tell you to stay inside when there's a murderer around?"

Bright white hair was illuminated by the moon that hadn't shone down on the town in ages. The edges of his hair were covered in blood, some fresh , some dried days ago. Black eyes peered into the night, down to every head present on the square.

"It is you," an elderly woman spoke as she noticed the man, "you're that traveler…"

Ja'far's eyes moved around the group and stopped at the woman. He stayed silent, although that said enough for the woman.

"Why have you betrayed us like this?"

"I came to finish what I was raised to do," Ja'far shrugged his shoulder as he revealed two sharp darts tied with rope around his arms. He looked up to the sky, laughing softly as he saw the stars twinkled in the air. "It's a beautiful night for a sacrifice."

Without any warning he jumped forward, grabbing the nearest man he could find. Resistance was futile as the man was dragged to the altar and got his throat cut, blood flowing across the piece of stone.

"Solomon and the other gods demand sacrifices." Ja'far said while his bloodied darts shone in the moonlight.

Slowly, those who were still standing on the street started to take a step back. Those who tried to save themselves by running away were the first to fall as blades flew around the place and cut their heads clean off. Not like Ja'far had wanted it, but a sacrifice was a sacrifice, no matter how it had been performed.

"You can't do this, Solomon will protect us." One woman, who Ja'far immediately recognized as the town elder, said with a shaking voice. The fear in her voice was so obvious, it was exactly like Ja'far wanted it.

"He is long gone. If you really want to see him again then you can die by my blade. Perhaps your sacrifice will make him return" He grinned and jumped forward. A big part of the group could jump aside, while others could only fall victim to the blades and fell down to the ground.

There was no time for screaming to arise. Before any sound could come out, the next throat would be cut. The option of running had been thrown away by the people soon enough. Those who feared the blades and the following death had fallen to the ground, hiding the murderous scene behind their own hands.

One by one they fell. Prayers to Solomon could be heard softly, although it was clear that no god would come to save the town. If anything, the man killing them all had come in the name of Solomon even if before there had been a different god whose name had been called before.

"Sinbad…" The whispers were soft, barely hearable.

Ja'far raised an eyebrow as his attention shifted to the origin of the voice. A young girl was sitting on the ground, shaking in fear. "Sinbad can safe us…" She kept repeating.

"Sinbad?" Ja'far asked, taking a step closer. He had never told them Sinbad's name, which meant that they had known all along. Their denial had just been strong enough to ignore it.

"The god of the woods," she replied, "when he sees what you are doing here, he will come to protect us."

"Really now?" Ja'far couldn't help but to laugh softly, "Last time I checked you guys would call for Solomon for help. I'm only fulfilling my duty towards him."

"The god here is Sinbad." A fire burned in the woman's eyes. Murmuring arose in the group, debates whether Sinbad or Solomon should be asked for help in this situation until one name came forth.

"Sinbad will protect us." A man said as he stood up

"The thunder will return and you will see who our god is here." More people joined the man as Ja'far could see their conviction. It was much of a joke. It had taken at least half of the town to die before this conclusion could have been made. However, it didn't matter. The callings of Sinbad's name grew stronger with every second, until even the elderly people of the town let the name leave their lips.

"I see…" Ja'far smiled as he looked up to sky. The moon was once more hidden behind darks clouds as the sky started to rumble. "You do believe when you know you should." His grip around the blades loosened, the weapons falling to the ground.

" _I want you to kill me when all this is over."_

 _He stood before the fire, watching Sinbad's surprised face._

" _Why would you do such a thing?" The god asked as he moved closer._

" _I am not a good man," Ja'far replied, "this is the only thing I can do that helps the both of us."_

 _The god sighed, not wanting to accept what he had been told._

" _When they finally call for your name, strike me down with your lightning and end this curse."_

Ja'far only laughed as the skies opened up and one final ray of lightning struck down upon him.

* * *

 **Out of the the ways I wanted to end the story, the murderer route was the one I got inspiration for. There will be one more epilogue and then this story is done.**


	5. Chapter 5

**And here it is, the final chapter! I want to thank all of you for your reviews, it was really nice to write this (and to finish something again).**

 **I also made art of this fic back when sinja AU week was happening. It's the cover image on this fic, you can find the full image on tumblr on Spararts**

 **anonymouanonymou: I know I'm awful haha, but hopefully this chapter makes it a little bit better**

* * *

Thunder was something sacred, a sign that a god was always present. Even if the skies above the different lands were bright blue, any thunderstorm would go accompanied with a party. To those who would travel through the woods, the dark skies would be seen as a threat. Only crazy people would worship the thunder to them, but fearing gods and celebrating their power could go hand in hand, so people found out.

Gods were supposed to be feared. It was a thing everyone knew. However, those who were truly to be feared were the angels. Angels… that had become the only way of calling them. After that certain night in which god had shown himself to the people, it was hard to start life again. Many had died that night by the hand of a man that was unknown to them. After the funerals, the people turned back to the temple in the forest to restore it to its right glory. A new layer of paint, removal of weeds and the building of a new shrine in town.

Sinbad's following would stay around the forest and its surrounding towns. The word of the god had spread from one town to another until the region had accepted the mysterious god as their one and only. Still the cultural center stayed deep in the forest, where the temple lay hidden in the woods, waiting for new people.

Years passed and customs were given to next generations. Stories survived, even if no one knew what they meant. It didn't matter. As long as there was something to believe, the people would follow and traditions would stay in use.

…

One traveler was a young man from the Western lands. He was Alibaba, the son of a town elder. On his way to the Eastern lands for trade, his path led him across the woods. Even if he had nothing to seek in the woods, he felt something calling him. Even if it felt stupid, he couldn't help but set foot in the forest. He walked and walked, eventually finding himself in front of a small, round building.

"Do you like it?" Alibaba looked next to him, where a man was standing. His face was hidden underneath a dark cloak, but some white stands of hair came from underneath.

"Yeah, it's a pretty temple." Alibaba said, slightly surprised by the sudden appearance of the man. "Who is worshipped here?"

"Sinbad," The man replied, "the god of thunder that watches over these woods and the nearby villages."

"I see… every place has its local god here. My town is one of the last that follows Solomon it seems." Alibaba looked from the man back to the temple.

"Solomon isn't the best god the people could wish for. For this place, Sinbad is the one who knows what is best." The man took a few steps closer to the temple, his footsteps nonexistent.

"How do you know that?" Alibaba asked.

"Trust me," the man circled around the pillars of the temple with his hands, strong burns running over his skin, "I have seen enough things."

Before Alibaba could ask more, the man had disappeared as soon as he had appeared before. There was no trace of him left, even after Alibaba had walked the temple multiple times. The only thing that was left was a small path leading deeper into the forest.

The road brought him to a village, where he was quickly welcomed and brought a drink to recover from his journey. The sky above the town had started to grow dark and ominous.

"You came just in time for the festival." A young woman said as she looked at the moving clouds, "Tonight is a blessed night."

"Because of the thunder?" Alibaba asked, taking a sip of his cold drink.

"It's a full moon tonight and Sinbad is blessing us with thunder, just like the legend told us."

Alibaba tilted his head, "Which legend?"

"A long time ago, when Sinbad was not yet loved by his people, a man came. Night after night people would mysteriously die at night by the _'white death'_. One night, on a full moon like this, the _'white death'_ showed himself and was seen to be the traveler who had arrived earlier. Before he could kill and sacrifice the entire town, he was struck by the lightning as people called Sinbad's name. Any full moon with thunder is a sacred night. We worship Sinbad and his angel." The girl smiled while the clouds rumbled softly.

"And the angel? Is that the man who got killed?" Alibaba asked the girl who nodded enthusiastically.

"Let me show you something," She said as she took the man's hand and dragged him to the middle of the square. There stood a wooden statue of a cloaked man, covered in red rope with two shining, but bloody knifes wrapped around it. "This is the statue of the angel who got everyone to call Sinbad's name. On nights like these, the thunder will crash down on the statue to confirm the legend. Legend says that the darts are the ones the angel used on that one night."

Alibaba could see by the state of the wood that the thunder had crashed down much too often already. The wood was burned black and split at multiple places. Still, it could have looked worse for that fact that there would have been hundreds of thunder crashes on it already.

"The wood is protected by god." The girl laughed softly as she noticed Alibaba's confused look. "Sinbad likes his angel, he would never part from him."

"If they were so close, why did the angel kill your town and why did Sinbad kill his angel?" Alibaba asked. Slowly rain started to fall down on the town.

"Because he had to. It was a way of showing the people what to do. The angel became one with the gods because of his death and we are grateful for that what he has shown us." The girl still smiled and Alibaba couldn't help but to smile back, even if he understood nothing.

…

The ritual was one that Alibaba was unable to understand. When the downpour hit its hardest point, more and more people came outside to party. Thunder sounded throughout the entire forest, but none of it fell down to the ground. That was until deep in the night when the people surrounded the statue of the angel. In one go a ray of lightning struck down on the statue, gaining much cheering in return as more alcohol started to flow. The lightning felt off to Alibaba. The impact wasn't loud, the statue didn't seem to have been damaged from it either. Truly, the thunder wasn't natural… instead the work of a god. Perhaps the thunder wasn't a threat to the people like Alibaba had always believed it to be. Instead, the thunder here was a sign of protection. To those who believed, it didn't hurt. It would only show the power of the god.

…

He left again the following morning. It was still raining from the day before, but softer than it had been at night. On his way back, he passed the temple one more time. A small flame burned on the altar and almost hidden in the rain were the figures of two men, looking over the town.


End file.
